► Background Recent developments have added exercise testing and training as part of the clinical practice in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseased populations. Exercise…
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▼ Background Recent developments have added exercise testing and training as part of the clinical practice in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of diseased populations. Exercise testing has been used widely in cardiovascular disease and in some circumstances in pulmonary disease. Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing has been used in the diagnosis and prognosis of pulmonary hypertension patients. However, no many studies have tried to evaluate functional capacity, explore prediction of cardiopulmonary fitness levels or mean pulmonary arterial pressures from the six minute walk test and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Objectives The objective of the study is to improve the quality of life of the pulmonary hypertension population with the use of exercise testing. Different pulmonary hypertension age groups have been analyzed and compared to achieve that goal. The functional capacity and prediction of health outcome from exercise testing in the form of six minute walk test and cardiopulmonary exercise test were explored to simplify the lives of this population, and to potentially avoid or decrease performing invasive procedures. Research Design The data was collected as part of the clinical visits to the pulmonary hypertension center of Morgan Stanley Children‚Äôs Hospital of New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. The design and protocol of the study involved six minute walk testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and in some cases right heart catheterization. The main variables in the study were the distance walked in six minutes, the peak oxygen uptake and other gas exchange exercise markers, as well as mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressures via right heart catheterization (measured close to the date of exercise test). Main Outcomes A). The different demographic and exercise characteristics of different Pulmonary Hypertension groups and how they compare to normal groups were established. B). The functional capacity of subjects with Pulmonary Hypertension and how it compares to the functional capacity of healthy subjects was established. Subjects with Pulmonary Hypertension were severely limited in their activities of daily living, when compared to normal healthy subjects. C). Peak oxygen uptake could only be significantly predicted from the six minute walk test in children with PH but not in adolescents or adults. D). There did not seem to be a correlation between oxygen uptake or any other cardiopulmonary exercise testing markers and mean Pulmonary Arterial Pressures. RESUMEN Introducci√≥n En los √ļltimos a√Īos las pruebas de esfuerzo as√≠ como el entrenamiento han venido a formar parte dela pr√°ctica cl√≠nica en el diagn√≥stico, tratamiento y pron√≥stico dela poblaci√≥n enferma. Las pruebas de esfuerzo han sido utilizadas extensivamente en enfermedad cardiovascular as√≠ como en la enfermedad pulmonar. La prueba de m√°ximo esfuerzo cardiopulmonar ha sido utilizada en el diagn√≥stico y pron√≥stico de pacientes con hipertensi√≥n pulmonar. Sin embargo, ning√ļn estudio ha intentado evaluar la capacidad…
Advisors/Committee Members: Calder√≥n Montero, Francisco Javier, Garc√≠a Zapico, Augusto.